Keithley PIO Series
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software
described is this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may
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Keithley PIO Series: Using DriverLINX with Your Hardware
Copyright 1998-2000 by Scientific Software Tools, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Third Printing.
SST 21-1200-1
DriverLINX, SSTNET, and LabOBJX are registered trademarks and
DriverLINX/VB is a trademark of Scientific Software Tools, Inc.
MetraByte is a trademark of Keithley Instruments, Inc.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks and Visual C++ and Visual Basic
are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Borland is a registered trademark and Borland C++ and Delphi are trademarks of
Borland International, Inc.
All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
2
Contents
Preface 5
Software License and Software Disclaimer of Warranty............................................................5
About DriverLINX.....................................................................................................................7
About This User’s Guide...........................................................................................................7
Conventions Used in This Manual.............................................................................................9
Configuring the PIO Series 11
Introduction..............................................................................................................................11
Configure DriverLINX Device Dialog.....................................................................................11
Programming the PIO Series 21
Selecting an API.......................................................................................................................21
Installing an API......................................................................................................................23
Programming an API................................................................................................................24
Device Subsystem Page.............................................................................................13
Digital Input Subsystem Page....................................................................................16
Digital Output Subsystem Page .................................................................................18
Choosing DriverLINX...............................................................................................21
Choosing Hardware Direct I/O..................................................................................22
Choosing ActiveX Direct I/O....................................................................................23
Installing DriverLINX...............................................................................................24
Installing the ActiveX Direct I/O Interface................................................................24
Programming DriverLINX......................................................................................... 24
Using the PIO Series with DriverLINX 29
References................................................................................................................................29
Uninstalling DriverLINX 31
How do I uninstall DriverLINX? .............................................................................................31
Troubleshooting 33
Solving Problems.....................................................................................................................33
Solving Problems Installing Drivers..........................................................................33
Solving Problems Configuring the Drivers................................................................33
Solving Problems Loading Drivers............................................................................34
Generating a DriverLINX Configuration Report .....................................................................37
What is in the Report? ...............................................................................................37
How do I Generate the Report?.................................................................................37
Glossary of Terms 38
Keithley PIO Series Contents • 3
4 • Contents Keithley PIO Series
Preface
Software License and Software Disclaimer of Warranty
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Keithley PIO Series Preface • 5
Limited Warranty
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6 • Preface Keithley PIO Series
About DriverLINX
Welcome to DriverLINX for Microsoft Windows, the high-performance realtime data-acquisition device drivers for Windows application development.
DriverLINX is a language- and hardware-independent appli cation-programming
interface designed to support hardware manufacturers’ high-speed analog, digital,
and counter/timer data-acquisition boards in Windows. DriverLINX is a multi-user
and multitasking data-acquisition resource manager providing more than 100 services
for foreground and background data acquisition tasks.
Included with your DriverLINX package are the following items:
• The DriverLINX API DLLs and drivers supporting your data-
acquisition hardware
• PIO Panel, a DriverLINX program that verifies the installation and
configuration of DriverLINX for your digital input/output board
• Learn DriverLINX, an interactive learning and demonstration program
for DriverLINX that includes a Digital Storage Oscilloscope
• Source code for the sample programs
• The DriverLINX Application Programming Interface files for your
compiler
• DriverLINX On-line Help System
• DriverLINX 4.0 Installation and Configuration Guide
• DriverLINX Digital I/O Programming Guide
• DriverLINX Technical Reference Manual
• Supplemental Documentation on DriverLINX and your data acquisition
hardware
About This User’s Guide
The purpose of this manual is to help you quickly learn how to configure and use t he
hardware features of Keithley’s PIO Series boards with DriverLINX.
• For help insta l ling and configuring your hardware and DriverLINX,
please see the manual that accompanied your hardware and the
DriverLINX 4.0 Installation and Configuration Guide for your version
of Windows.
• For more information on the DriverLINX API, please see the
DriverLINX Technical Reference Manual.
• For additional help programming your board, please examine the source
code examples on the Distribution Disks.
This manual contains the following chapters:
Configuring the PIO Series
Shows how to configure the PIO Series using the Configure DriverLINX Device
dialog box.
Keithley PIO Series Preface • 7
Using the PIO Series with DriverLINX
Shows how to set up DriverLINX with the Edit Service Request dialog box to use
PIO Series hardware features.
8 • Preface Keithley PIO Series
Conventions Used in This Manual
The following notational conventions are used in this manual:
• A round bullet (•) identifies itemized lists.
• Numbered lists indicate a step-by-step procedure.
• DriverLINX Application Programming Interface and Windows macro
and function names are set in bold when mentioned in the text.
• DriverLINX indicates the exported function name of the device driver
DLL while DriverLINX indicates the product as a whole.
• DriverLINX Application Programming Interface identifiers, menu
items, and Dialog Box names are italicized when mentioned in the text.
• Italics are used for emphasis.
• Source code and data structure examples are displayed in Courier
typeface and bounded by a box with a single line.
Code
• A box with a double line bounds tables of information.
Tables
Concept
• Important concepts and notes are printed in the left margin.
Keithley PIO Series Preface • 9
Configuring the PIO Series
Introduction
The installation program provides general instructions for installing and configuring
DriverLINX. This manual explains the steps and special features that apply to
Keithley’s PIO Series boards.
Installing and configuring DriverLINX for the Keithley PIO Series boards requires
three steps:
1. Install DriverLINX. Follow the instructions given by the installation
program. The Read Me First instructions explain the components and
drivers you can install.
2. Configure DriverLINX. See “Configure DriverLINX Device Dialog”
on page 11 for configuration options specific to a Keithley PIO Series
model.
3. Install your PIO hardware, read and follow the instructions in your
hardware manual.
Configure DriverLINX Device Dialog
DriverLINX uses a standardized configuration protocol for all data-acquisition
hardware. Configuration assigns a port address, interrupt resources a nd a
DriverLINX Logical Device number to a specific PIO Series board in your computer.
The installation program automatically starts the DriverLINX Configuration Panel.
To start it again later, use the shortcut on the Windows Start Menu or click here
.
Keithley PIO Series Configuring the PIO Series • 11
When you click the Create… or Configure… buttons on the DriverLINX
Configuration Panel, DriverLINX displays the Configure DriverLINX Device dialog.
The dialog has a page for each subsystem on a Keithley PIO Series model. The
following sections describe your choices in configuring DriverLINX to work with
your board.
12 • Configuring the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
Device Subsystem Page
Use the Device subsystem page to tell DriverLINX the model name, address and,
optionally, to disable detection of your PIO Series board.
Vendor
The Vendor property displays “Keithley MetraByte, Inc.” It is a read-only property.
Device
Windows NT
The Device property designates the Logical Device you are configuring. It is a readonly property. To change it, first save (OK) or quit (Cancel) the current
configuration. Then select or create a new Logical Device using the DriverLINX
Configuration Panel.
Model
The Model property selects or indicates the model of the board you’re configuring.
Select one of the following models:
PIO-12
PIO-24
PIO-32I/O
PIO-32IN
PIO-32OUT
PIO-96
PIO-SSR-24
PIO-SSR-48
PIO-SSR-120
PIO-HV
PDISO-8
REL-16
Intel 8255
Keithley PIO Series Configuring the PIO Series • 13
The selection “Intel 8255” will work with most digital boards that use an 8-bit ISA
interface.
Windows 95/98
Windows NT
Windows 95/98
Under Windows 95/98, DriverLINX displays the model you chose during
installation. To install a different model, cancel the configuration and run Add New
Hardware from the Windows Control Panel.
Address
The A
ddress property records the I/O port address for the board. The default address
used by DriverLINX is 768 decimal or 0x300 hex. If you have another peripheral
board at that address, select a different base address. Note: consult your hardware
manual for the number of consecutive free addresses you need.
Under Windows 95/98, Add New Hardware automatically selects an appropriate
address. To change the address, see “Using the Windows 95/98 Device Manager” on
page 14.
Dec
This radio button converts the Address property to decimal.
Hex
This radio button converts the Address property to hexadecimal.
Detect
The Detect property enables and disables DriverLINX’s hardware detection and
testing algorithms. When you create a Logical Device, DriverLINX enables detection
and testing. After loading the device successfully for the first time, DriverLINX
automatically disables subsequent detection and testing.
You may need to disable detection yourself if your hardware has malfunctioning I/O
ports that you’r e not using.
Calibrate
The Calibrate property enables and disables hardware auto-calibration. This option is
grayed-out for the PIO Series because it does not support automatic calibration.
Special…
The Special… button allows configuration of hardware-specific options. Keithley’s
PIO Series does not need any special settings.
Using the Windows 95/98 Device Manager
Under Windows 95/98, DriverLINX uses the address and interrupt settings
maintained by the Windows Device Manager.
To view or change the settings for your board using the Devi ce Manager:
14 • Configuring the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
1. Start the D evice Manger by right-clicking on My Computer and
selecting Properties or click here
.
2. Click the Device Manger tab.
3. Click the
next to , if necessary to expand the
list.
4. Under DriverLINX drivers, select the entry for your board. (It may or
may not have
next to it.)
5. Click the Properties button.
6. On the board’s property page, click the Resources tab.
7. To change a setting, select it under Resource Type and click the Change
Setting button. Windows will guide you in selecting an appropriate
value.
8. When you are done, click OK to close the board’s property page.
9. The board’s address switches must match the address setting you selec t .
If necessary shut down your computer and reposition them as described
in your hardware manual.
10. Restart Windows to load the Logical Device for your board using the
new settings.
Keithley PIO Series Configuring the PIO Series • 15
Digital Input Subsystem Page
Use the Digital Input subsystem page to change the default digital input/output port
configuration and, for ap plicable models, to set the board’s interrupt level.
Channels
The Channels property allows you to select a Logical Channel for input/output
configuration or viewing the channel’s range.
DriverLINX defines Logical Channels starting with zero. Each model has a different
number of channels and, on some models, the Digital Input Subsystem share channels
with the Digital Output Subsystem. See “Mapping Logical Channels to Digital
Hardware Channels” in the Digital I/O Programming Guide for more details.
Windows NT
Windows 95/98
Range
The Range property specifies the supported digital input range for the selected
Logical Channel. This is a read-only property.
Interrupt
The I
nterrupt property selects an interrupt level for your board. Only a few models
support hardware interrupts.
Under Windows 95/98, Add New Hardware automatically selects an appropriate
interrupt level. See “Using the Windows 95/98 Device Manager” on page 14 for
information on changing the setting.
DMA level
The PIO Series does not use system DMA channels. DriverLINX disables this
property and displays it as blank.
Configuration Setup
The Configuration Setup property specifies the hardware configuration of the digital
I/O channels. See “Definition of Configuration Values” in the Digital I/O
Programming Guide for more information.
16 • Configuring the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
Dec
This radio button converts the Configuration Setup property to decimal.
Hex
This radio button converts the Configuration Setup property to hexadecimal.
Initialize
Checking the Initialize check box instructs DriverLINX to use the Configuration
S
etup property to configure the selected digital I/O channel upon device
initialization.
Applications can later change a channel’s configurat ion. (See “Configuring a Digital
Port at Run Time” in the Digital I/O Programming Guide.)
Keithley PIO Series Configuring the PIO Series • 17
Digital Output Subsystem Page
Use the Digital Output subsystem page to change the default digital output port
initialization values.
Channels
The Channels property allows you to select a Logical Channel for initialization or
viewing the channel’s range.
Range
The Range property displays the supported digital output range for the selected
Logical Channel. This is a read-only property.
Interrupt
The PIO Series does not use interrupts for digital output. DriverLINX disables this
property and displays it as blank.
DMA level
The PIO Series does not use system DMA channels. DriverLINX disables this
property and displays it as blank.
Initialization Value
The Initialization Value property specifies the digital output value DriverLINX will
write to the selected Logical Channel on hardware initialization. DriverLINX only
writes this value if you enable the In
the hardware-defined initialization values if the In
For the PIO Series, the default digital output value is zero.
itialize check box. By default, DriverLINX uses
itialize check box is not checked.
Dec
This radio button converts the Initialization V alue property to decimal.
Hex
This radio button converts the Initialization V alue property to hexadecimal.
18 • Configuring the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
Initialize
Checking the Initialize check box instructs DriverLINX to use the Initialization
V
alue property, rather than the default value, for digital output port initialization.
Keithley PIO Series Configuring the PIO Series • 19
Programming the PIO Series
Selecting an API
The PIO Series supports two different device driver interfaces to best match your
programming needs. The supported driver interfaces are
• DriverLINX—An interface that is hardware and operating system
independent and supports multitasking, multithreading applications.
• Direct I/O—an interface that is operating system independent and
supports single-tasking, single-threaded access to an Intel 8255-like
function call interface.
• ActiveX Direct I/O—an interface that is operating system independent
and supports single-tasking, single-threaded access to an Intel 8255-like
function call interface.
Keithley recommends the using the DriverLINX interface for maximum portability
and versatility, but the other interface is useful in special circumstances. Please
review the following sections on the advantages and disadvantages of each interface.
Note: On Windows 95/98, you can also write directly to the board using CPU I/O
instructions, but neither Microsoft nor Keithley recommend this technique. Windows
NT does not support direct hardware access using CPU I/O instructions.
Choosing DriverLINX
Keithley highly recommends selecting the DriverLINX interface for your
applications. The DriverLINX interface has the following advantages:
• Hardware independence—DriverLINX supports ISA, PCMCIA, and
PCI digital I/O boards with a common interface as well as digital ports
on analog I/O and counter/timer boards.
• Operating system independence—DriverLINX supports Windows
95/98 and Windows NT with a common interface.
• Shared hardware access—DriverLINX allows multiple processes or
threads to cooperatively share hardware resources.
• Multitasking, multithreading support—DriverLINX provides the
synchronization and coordination for multitasking, multithreading
applications to safely access shared hardware resources.
Keithley PIO Series Programming the PIO Series • 21
• Portability—DriverLINX supports older and newer hardware with a
common interface for 16- and 32-bit applications on Windows 95/98
and Windows NT.
• Versatility—DriverLINX supports a wide variety of programming
styles and languages including C/C++, Visual Basi c, Delphi, and
LabVIEW.
• Background I/O—DriverLINX supports background I/O using
interrupts or other techniques so your application can overlap
processing and data acquisition.
• Full hardware support—DriverLINX supports all the hardware’s
features.
The DriverLINX interface has a few disadvantages compared to the alternative
interfaces:
• Software modifications—Existing applications will require rewriting
to use DriverLINX.
• No direct hardware access—Before Windows NT, Microsoft
discouraged, but nevertheless allowed, direct application program
access to hardware.
• Nibble configuration—Some models support configurations of Port C
with one input nibble and one output nibble. With the DriverLINX
interface, this requires the use of the Configure DriverLINX Device
dialog.
• Speed of single-value I/O—Applications, especially those ported from
DOS, that depend on rapid software polling of I/O ports will notice that
the operating system time cost for multitasking, multithreading
synchronization is higher than direct hardware access.
While writing your application to use a multi-product, portable API is the best longterm solution, you should consider the alternative API only for special purpose or
short-term needs.
Choosing Hardwar e Direct I/O
The Direct Hardware I/O Interface simulates the hardware behavior of Intel 8255based products, such as the PIO24 and PIO96, and the KMBPIO Series. This
interface has the following advantages:
• Direct I/O support—This interface supports existing applications that
write directly to the digital I/O’s hardware registers using the x86
CPU’s inp and outp instructions.
• Intel 8255 emulation—This interface simulates the I/O address map
and a subset of the programming protocols of Intel’s 8255 chip.
• Fast hardware access—This interface provides the fastest possible
access to the hardware registers.
• MS-DOS window support—This interface will host 16- and 32-bit
console applications running in a n MS-DOS window.
The Hardware Direct I/O Interface has a few, significant disadvantages:
22 • Programming the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
• Win 9x only—The I/O Emulation interface only runs on Windows
95/98. Windows NT does not support direct I/O without using a special
port I/O driver available from Keithley’s Web site at
www.keithley.com.
• Non-exclusive hardware access—This interface does not synchronize
or coordinate hardware access among threads or processes.
• Incompatible with DriverLINX—Applications cannot use this
interface with DriverLINX either in the same or another application.
• Supports subset of hardware features—This interface does not
support using interrupts or PIO-series hardware features not available
with Intel 8255-based products.
Keithley does not recommend using this interface for developing new applications.
Choosing ActiveX Direct I/O
The ActiveX Direct I/O interface uses the methods of an ActiveX Automation object
to access the KMBPIO hardware. This interface has the following advantages:
• Operating system independence—Both Windows 95/98 and
Windows NT support this interface.
• Intel 8255 emulation—This interface simulates the I/O address map
and programming protocols of Intel’s 8255 chip.
• Fast hardware access—This interface provides faster access to the
hardware registers than is available with the DriverLINX interface.
• Versatility—Most W indows compilers and scr i pting languages support
ActiveX Automation objects.
• Speed of single-value I/O—The I/O performance of this interface is
almost as fast as the Hardware Direct I/O interface when using early
binding to the interface.
• Board-relative addressing—This interface automatically determines
the actual hardware I/O address unlike the Hardware Direct I/O
interface.
The ActiveX Direct I/O interface also has disadvantages:
• Non-exclusive hardware access—This interface does not synchronize
or coordinate hardware access among threads or processes.
• Incompatible with DriverLINX—Applications cannot use this
interface with DriverLINX either in the same or another application.
• Supports subset of hardware features—This interface does not
support using interrupts.
• ActiveX interface—Using Automation objects in some C++ compilers
is more difficult than in Visual Basic.
Installing an API
To install a PIO programming interface, select one of the following topics for more
information.
Keithley PIO Series Programming the PIO Series • 23
Installing DriverLINX
The normal installation process automatically installs both the DriverLINX and
Direct I/O APIs. Follow the instructions in the DriverLINX CD installer.
Installing the ActiveX Direct I/O Interface
The normal installation process automatically installs both the DriverLINX and
Direct I/O APIs. Follow the instructions in the DriverLINX CD installer.
Installing the ActiveX Direct I/O Driver
The normal DriverLINX installation automatically installs the Direct
I/O Driver. This driver is a registered ActiveX object that resides in
KDIGIO.DLL.
This driver requires that you install the DriverLINX kernel drivers as it
uses their services. On Win NT, the kernel driver is KMBPIO.SYS. On
Win 95/98, it is KMBPIO.VXD. Follow the normal DriverLINX
installation and configuration procedures to install these kernel drivers.
Configuring the ActiveX Direct I/O Driver
The Direct I/O Driver requires that you configure a DriverLINX
Logical Device using the DriverLINX Configuration Panel utility. The
Direct I/O driver does not require any separate configuration.
Programming an API
To use a PIO programming interface, select one of the following topics for more
information.
Programming DriverLINX
The DriverLINX API is extensively documented in this manual and in the Digital I/O
Programming Guide and the DriverLINX or DriverLINX/VB Technical Reference
Manuals.
The ActiveX Direct I/O Interface is an ActiveX Automation object hosting one
interface. This control is compatible with Microsoft Visual C++ and Visual Basic as
well as other ActiveX-hosting languages.
The methods of the control’s interface, IKDigitalIo, emulate the 8-bit port I/O
behavior of an Intel 8255 chip. Consult an Intel hardware manual or the
programming section o f your PIO-Series har dware’s User’s Manual.
IKDigitalIo Intel 8255 Interface
The following syntax descriptions are shown in C/C++. For Visual Basic, use the
Object Browser to see the VB syntax. Also see “Using the Direct I/O Driver in
Visual Basic” on page 25.
• HRESULT OpenDevice(BSTR Driver, long Device);
Opens a digital I/O device.
Driver is “KMBPIO” to open a Keithley PIO Series board.
24 • Programming the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
Device is the DriverLINX Logical Device number of the KMBPIO
board to open.
• HRESULT CloseDevice();
Closes a previously opened KMBPIO device.
The number of CloseDevice calls must match the number of
OpenDevice calls.
• HRESULT Read(short Offset, unsigned char * Result);
Reads an 8-bit value from the KMBPIO board.
Offset is the value of the register to read relative the base I/O address.
Result is the value read from the register.
• HRESULT Write(short Offse t, unsigned char Va l ue);
Writes an 8-bit value to the KMBPIO board.
Offset is the value of the register to write relative the base I/O address.
Value is the output to write to the register.
• HRESULT Op enCount(long *Count);
Returns the number of times a client has called OpenDevice for this
Logical Device.
Count is the address of the value for the result.
• HRESULT Device(long *LogicalDevice);
Returns the Logical Device number if the device is open. Otherwise it
returns –1.
LogicalDevice is the address of the value for the result.
• HRESULT Driver(BSTR *Name);
Returns the DriverLINX class driver name if any device is open.
Otherwise it returns an empty string.
Name is the address of a string value for the result.
Using the Direct I/O Driver in Visual Basic
The following instructions are for Version 5 of Microsoft Visual Basic. If you have a
different version, please consult the Visual Basic documentation.
1. From VB’s “P
2. Scroll t hrough the “A
Digital I/O Library”.
roject” menu, select “References…”
vailable References”, looking for “Keithley
Keithley PIO Series Programming the PIO Series • 25
Check “Keithley Digital I/O Library” and then click OK.
3. From VB’s “V
iew” menu, select “Object Browser” to display a list of
libraries.
4. Search for “KDIGIOLib”.
5. The Object Browser shows the VB syntax for the KDigitalIo (see
“IKDigitalIo Intel 8255 Interface” on page 24) class.
26 • Programming the PIO Series Keithley PIO Series
Creating a Simple Visual Basic Application
1. Create a Visual Basic form:
2. Add the following source code to declare, open, close, read, and write a
PIO device.
Option Explicit
Dim KPIO As New KDigitalIo
Private Sub btClose_Click()
KPIO.CloseDevice
End Sub
Private Sub btOpen_Click()
KPIO.OpenDevice (“KMBPIO”, Val(tbDevice))
End Sub
Private Sub btRead_Click()
tbValue = Hex(KPIO.Read(Val(tbAddr)))
End Sub
Private Sub btWrite_Click()
Dim v As Byte
v = Val(tbValue)
KPIO.Write Val(tbAddr), v
End Sub
Keithley PIO Series Programming the PIO Series • 27
Using the PIO Series with
DriverLINX
References
Please see the following references for information on programming your Keithley
PIO Series board with DriverLINX:
• Digital I/O Programm ing Guide
Shows you how to set up and use PI O Series hardware features with
DriverLINX.
• DriverLINX Technical Reference Manual
Describes the DriverLINX Application Program Interface (API) for the
DLL interface using C++.
• DriverLINX/VB Technical Reference Manual
Describes the API for the ActiveX (OCX) interface using VB or
Delphi.
• DriverLINX examples for your programming language
They are in the subfolders of your DriverLINX installation folder or on
the original distribution media.
Keithley PIO Series Using the PIO Series with DriverLINX • 29
Uninstalling DriverLINX
How do I uninstall DriverLINX?
DriverLINX consists of three separate component installations:
• DriverLINX for the Keithley PIO Series
• DriverLINX Programming Interfaces
• DriverLINX Documentation
You can uninstall the last two installations at any time without interfering with
compiled applications that require DriverLINX drivers. To uninstall the latter
components, run the “Add/Remove Programs” tool in the Windows Control Panel.
To uninstall DriverLINX drivers for the Keithley PIO Series, you must
• Disable the DriverLINX driver.
• Shut down your computer to remove the hard ware.
• Reboot your computer to unload the driver.
• Run the DriverLINX uninstall program.
How to Disable a DriverLINX Driver in Windows NT
1. From the Windows Start menu, select “Settings”, then “Control Panel”.
Left click on the DriverLINX Configuration icon in the Control Panel.
2. Select the PIO devices you want to disable.
3. Right click on each device and select “Disabled” on the popup menu.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for each PIO card that you are uninstalling.
5. Close the DriverLINX Configuration Panel.
6. When finished, shut down your computer and physically remove any
installed PIO hardware.
7. Reboot Windows.
8. To fini sh uninstalling, see “Ho w to Remove DriverLINX for the
Keithley PIO Series” on page 32.
Keithley PIO Series Uninstalling DriverLINX • 31
How to Disable a DriverLINX Driver in Windows 95/98
1. From the Windows Start menu, select “Settings”, then “Control Panel”.
Left click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Select the “Device
Manager” tab in the System Properties dialog.
2. Left click the “+” icon next to “DriverLINX drivers” to display the
installed Keithley PIO devices.
3. Select the PIO device you want to disable.
4. Click the “Re
5. In the “Confirm Device Removal” dialog, select “OK”.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for each PIO card or driver that you uninstalling.
7. When finished, click “Close”, shut down your computer, and physically
remove any installed PIO hardware.
8. Reboot Windows.
9. To fini sh uninstalling, see “Ho w to Remove DriverLINX for the
Keithley PIO Series” on page 32.
move” button.
How to Remove DriverLINX for the Keithley PIO Series
1. From the Windows Start menu, select “Settings”, then “Control Panel”.
Left click on the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.
2. Select “DriverLINX for Keithley PIO” in the Add/Remove Programs
Properties dialog.
3. Click the “Add/Remove…” button.
4. Answer “Y
Keithley PIO Series’ and all of its components?” in the Confirm File
Deletion dialog.
5. The DriverLINX uninstall program will proceed.
es” to “Are you sure you want to remove ‘DriverLINX for
The uninstall program will not remove the folder, “\DrvLINX4\System”. This folder
contains copies of any \Windows\System or \Windows\System32 files that the
original DriverLINX installation updated.
32 • Uninstalling DriverLINX Keithley PIO Series
Troubleshooting
Solving Problems
Correct operation of your PIO hardware requires successful completion of four step s.
1. Windows finds free resources for the PIO board.
2. The PIO address switches are set to the assigned a ddress resource.
3. You configure the PIO drivers using the DriverLINX Configurati on
Panel.
4. Windows loads the PIO drivers into memory.
If you are having a problem installing or configuring your PIO product, review the
following notes. If these notes do not solve your problem, or your problem is not
described, then contact technical support and fully describe your problem.
Solving Problems Installing Drivers
The DriverLINX installation program runs a wizard that assists you in installing,
registering and configuring the Dr iverLINX driver for your board. If you would like
to repeat any steps with the wizard, click here
.
Solving Problems Configuring the Drivers
Windows 95/98 assigns hardware resources for the PIO, but you must still configure
the PIO drivers before using them. The DriverLINX configuration requires that you
select the hardware model of your PIO board.
On Windows NT, you must, also, manually enter the address and interrupt resource
assignments. See “Configuring the PIO Series” on page 11 for more information.
Keithley PIO Series Troubleshooting • 33
Solving Problems Loading Drivers
Before the PIO drivers can load, you must
1. Install the DriverLINX software.
2. Install the PIO hardware into your computer.
3. Configure DriverLINX.
4. Reboot your computer.
If you have not completed the above steps, please do so before proceeding.
On Windows NT you must det ermine free hardware resources for the PIO using
Windows NT Diagnostics
automatically assign hardware resources to the PIO cards. Automatic resource
assignment can fail sometimes on
• Older PCI computers.
• Computers with ISA cards installed.
• Computers with no free ha rdware resources .
Sorting through all possibilities can be a challenge due to the she e r number of
combinations of hardware designs, PC plug-in boards, and versions of Windows. The
following sections will help you gather information about why a driver may have
failed to load. This information is essential for you or technical support to solve your
problem.
. On Windows 95/98, the operating system will
Did the DriverLINX Driver Load?
1. Run “DriverLINX Configuration” from Windows Control Panel.
2. Select the “DriverLINX” tab.
3. Click the “+” icon next to DriverLINX to expand the list of drivers, if
necessary.
4. Select “Keithley PIO”. Click “+”, if necessary, to expand the list.
5. Select the line with the number of the Logical Device you configured. If
the number does not exist, you did not configure the driver. See
“Configuring the PIO Series” on page 11.
6. Click the “P
7. Do you see “Status: Device is loaded”? If not, did you reboot the
computer after configuring? If not, reboot now and repeat the above
steps.
roperties…” button and then select the “General” tab.
34 • Troubleshooting Keithley PIO Series
8. If you rebooted the computer after configuring and Windows did not
load your device, see “Checking for Device Errors” on page 35.
Checking for Device Errors
When a DriverLINX kernel driver cannot load, it writes an explanation into the
system event log. You can view this log under Windows 95/ 98 or Windo ws NT using
the DriverLINX Event Viewer.
Windows 95/98 maintains additional driver information in the Device Manager. Also
see “Getting More Driver Information on Windows 95/98” on page 35.
1. Run “DriverLINX Event Viewer” from the DriverLINX folder.
2. Click on the “+” icon next to “DriverLINX” in the left panel.
3. Select the abbreviation for your driver.
4. Does the first line in the right panel show a current error?
5. Double click on the error line to see more detail and an explanatory
message.
6. If you cannot resolve the problem yourself, please provide this error
information when contacting technical support.
Getting More Driver Information on Windows 95/98
Windows 95/98 reports additional information about device status using the Device
Manager. To access this utility,
1. Right click on “My Computer” and then select “Pr
2. Select “Device Manager” and “View devices by t
3. Does “DriverLINX drivers” appear in the list? If not, see “Solving
Problems Installing Drivers” on page 33.
4. Click the “+” next to “DriverLINX drivers”.
5. Does your PIO product appear in the list? If not, see “Solving Problems
Installing Drivers” on page 33.
operties”.
ype”.
6. Does the icon next to your PIO product display an exclamation point
(!)? If no, Windows has loaded your PIO driver.
7. Select the line with the “!” and then click “Pr
Keithley PIO Series Troubleshooting • 35
operties”.
8. The General tab will show the reason why the driver did not load.
9. The Resources tab will show if Windows detected an unresolvable
hardware conflict.
Getting More Driver Information on Windows NT
On Windows NT, the only reasons that a driver does not load are
• You did not install the driver software.
• You did not correctly configure the driver.
• You changed the driver startup parameters.
An incorrectly configured driver will report the reasons that it failed to load into the
Windows Event Log. See “Checking for Device Errors” on page 35 for more
information.
On Windows NT, DriverLINX drivers load automatically during system boot. An
administrator can change the startup command for any NT driver to either “manual”
or “disabled”.
1. Run “DriverLINX Configuration” from Windows Contro l Panel.
2. Select the “DriverLINX” tab.
3. Click the “+” icon next to DriverLINX to expand the list of drivers, if
necessary.
4. Select “Keithley PIO”. Click “+”, if necessary, to expand the list.
5. Select the line with the number of the Logical Device that did not load.
6. Right click the mouse to see a popup menu.
7. Select “Automatic” to instruct Windows to load the driver the next time
you reboot.
36 • Troubleshooting Keithley PIO Series
Generating a DriverLINX Configuration Report
Your DriverLINX installation includes a troubleshooting tool that generates a report
of your DriverLINX configuration. If you call Technical Support, after reading
“Solving Problems” on page 33, they may ask you to generate and e-mail this report
to help you solve installation and configuration problems.
What is in the Report?
The troubleshooting tool analyzes your computer to obtain information about
DriverLINX and operating system software that would assist Technical Support in
troubleshooting a problem you are having. It i ncludes information on DriverLIN X
files, environment variables, registry entries, hardware and the operating system.
How do I Generate the Repor t?
You can easily generate the report by clicking this shortcut . Once the
troubleshooting tool generates the report, you will have the opportunity to review it
and make deletions, if desired, before e-mailing it to Technical Support. If you do not
have direct access to e-mail, you can save the report to a disk file and send a copy
later. A Technical Support engineer will guide you through these steps when you are
asked to send a report.
Keithley PIO Series Troubleshooting • 37
Glossary of Terms
A/D
Abbreviation for Analog-to-Digital, a process that converts a continuous analog
signal into a discrete digital approximation of the analog signal.
ADC
Abbreviation for Analog-to-Digital Converter, the hardware that performs the A/D
conversion.
API
Abbreviation for Application Programming Interface. An API defines the syntax of
the data structures and functions of software services.
DMA
Abbreviation for Direct Memory Access, a technique where the system board can
transfer data between a device and memory without using the CPU. In the PC, a
standard chip on the system board controls the transfer.
IRQ
Abbreviation for interrupt request. Peripheral hardware signals the CPU that it is
ready to transfer data.
ISA
Abbreviation for Industry Standard Architecture. A standard for the original IBM AT
bus specification that defines the bus structure, CPU and support chip architecture,
and the clock frequency of the ISA bus.
ISR
Abbreviation for interrupt service routine, the software function inside a device
driver that handles interrupt requests.
38 • Glossary of Terms Keithley PIO Series
Logical Device
DriverLINX’s designation for a specific data-acquisition board inside your computer.
Service Request
A DriverLINX object or data structure that completely defines a data-acquisition
task.
Subsystem
DriverLINX subdivides a general purpose data-acquisition device into six
subsystems—Device, Analog Input, Analog Output, Digital Input, Digital Output,
and Counter/Timer.
TTL
Abbreviation for transistor-transistor logic, a family of digital logic elements.
Keithley PIO Series Glossary of Terms • 39
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